I'm pleased to report that my personal pilgrimage involved some suffering (standing-room only on the Leamington-Coventry train) plus a good deed to a fellow-pilgrim - my travelling companion and I encountered a lost bishop on Coventry station and were able to escort him all the way to the cathedral. He was SO grateful.
Tradition
The pilgrimage day's 'special feature' was its focus on the Church of England's 'sacramental and contemplative' tradition. More than 400 men and women attended. Fresh Expressions chief the Rev Steven Croft told me that he and his team were amazed by the response - the event was massively overbooked.
Word and action
Our day began at the font (beneath the glorious rainbow sunburst of the great John Piper window) with the renewal of baptismal vows, reminding us of the basic shared truths of our faith.
And, setting a trend for the rest of the day, we were invited to respond with our bodies as well as our minds and voices, this time in an act of submission, formally known as a 'total prostration'.
Stretched out, flat on my face on the floor, isn't my normal 'way in' to an act of worship. But I can't recommend a better way of getting a sense of one's own 'created-ness' - God didn't call his first human 'Adam' (ie 'Earth') for nothing....
Four connections
We gathered in the main body of the Cathedral to listen to Archbishop Rowan's address. Not surprisingly he began with some gentle challenges to our stereotyping use of labels: when properly used, the terms 'catholic' and 'evangelical' belong inextricably together - both, at heart, are about taking the good news (the evangel) to all.
He warned us that all traditions run the risk of becoming fussy and desiccated - we all depend on the renewing, vibrant power of the Holy Spirit.
His went on to outline ways in which the sacramental and contemplative traditions have particular gifts and emphases that can widen and enrich the ongoing work of the Fresh Expressions movement.
- The catholic tradition has a particular emphasis on the non-verbal as well as the verbal in its sharing of the good news of Jesus. Our society is deeply receptive to symbols - think of those roadside 'flower shrines' at accident sites, for example.
- Linked to this is a central place for sacramental action as part of the proclaiming word. God makes himself credible to us by taking a body of vulnerable flesh. We show our commitments most clearly when we put our bodies 'on the line'.
- In its celebration of the 'faith journey' of the church's year, the tradition acknowledges that our relationship with God is something that, literally, 'takes time'.... Our culture isn't good at taking time (otherwise we wouldn't be in our current economic mess). Growing in faith is lifelong work - and something that's deeply counter-cultural.
- At its best the tradition is community-focused, offering a powerful message of inclusion and shared life to our fragmented, individualistic culture. And community doesn't mean a warm huddle - rather it's a place honesty where we are continually being challenged to venture beyond our comfort zones.
Archbishop Rowan noted that all four aspects are deeply biblical. And he used a powerful image of the church. The word ecclesia means 'a bringing together' - when God acts it's like the action of a magnet on iron fillings, enlivening and bringing them into dynamic relationship.
He ended with the encouragment that in these and many other ways, churches in the sacramental and contemplative traditions are brilliantly placed to contribute richly to the mould-breaking work of rediscovering what it means to 'be church' at the start of the 21st century. (Click here for full text of the address.)
Abbot Stuart Burns responded with a brief reflection on the missionary impact of the Oxford Movement revival within the Church in the first half of the 19th century. (I was struck by the similarities in terms of zeal and outreach between the intentions of the Oxford Movement and those of the founders of CPAS.) He also warned that passion and dependence up on the Holy Spirit are the 'must have' aspects of any work for God that is to live and grow.
Communion
The morning continued with a service of Holy Communion with the liturgy enhanced by large-screen visuals, traditional music and pulsing ambient backing as well. The Archbishop (the man's singing voice is nearly as sonorous as his speaking voice) seemed unfased by the necessity of wearing one of those Madonna-style head mics. I particularly appreciated the 'body prayer' to the Lord's Prayer, ably led by Philip Roderick.
And then
It was time for lunch - plenty for everyone. I admired the clean-eating skills of the cathedral servers, tucking in to their sarnies while fully kitted out in snowy-white cassock albs (the ultimate holy hoody).
Reflection
It was good to have the best part of an hour for quietness and reflection. I wandered the side aisles and the cathedral's many nooks and corners, pausing at prayer stations and taking part in activities arranged by a variety of FX groups and related agencies. These included: Contemplative Fire, Moot, Dekhomai, Blessed, Feig and Maybe.
Groups
It was good to see several friends of Church Leadership leading some of the afternoon's themed elective activities:
- Steve Croft led 'Why bother with Fresh Expressions?'
- Dave Male led a workshop on 'Ordained Pioneer Ministry and the catholic Anglican tradition.
- Catholic mission: communities learning to share God's love with others
- Monasticism, New Monasticism and the Contemplative tradition
- Body prayer in the Christian tradition
- Technology in worship - Yes you can!
- Looking with Mary to God's possibilities.
As the winter twilight deepened, we gathered in and near the candlelit choir for a final act of worship, which, for me typified all that I had experienced during the day - a sense of ancient traditions being rediscovered and re-invigorated with a vibrant, energetic power.
I was moved and humbled by the sincerity and beauty of my fellow-pilgrims' wholehearted response to God, made all the more poignant for me by the realisation that probably few of them fall in to the 'natural constituency' of CPAS.
In that darkened space, the vast figure of Christ in Majesty rising above, one gets a hint of the greatness, mystery and beauty of God.
The numinous, I guess.
It was impossible not to be excited by the potential of a continuing work of God's Spirit in this area of his wonderfully diverse Church.
And onward
We ended as we began, by the font. Bishop Stephen Cottrell sent us out with a reminder of Jesus' question to his friends at a time of difficulty: 'You do not want to leave too, do you?' - and of Peter's simple response: 'Lord, to whom shall we go?'
Millennia later, we find ourselves in a similar place to Peter and his friends. Jesus has, in his unque, countercultural way, totally 'messed up' our lives.
We're not particularly skilled, gifted, vibrant or self-confident - which is good news, because that makes us pretty much the same as the bunch of people with whom he shared the brief years of his earthly work - and whom he invited to be his living Body in the world.
Exciting, huh?
The pilgrimage continuesAn important feature of the pilgrim life is the truth that as soon as you think you're doing well, you're probably heading for a fall. (Hear the wise words of Dolly Parton).
You won't be surprised that I exited the cathedral on a bit of a high. Handshake at the door from Archbishop Rowan (those eyebrows - phenomenal). And I scooted for the station.
As if by divine appointment the Cross Country train arrived on the dot. I boarded and found a comfortable seat in a pleasantly uncrowded compartment. Bliss. Guardian Angel being nice to me, or what?
Ten minutes later I realised I was heading north to Birmingham rather than south to my home in Leamington.
Thank goodness I hadn't mis-shepherded another lost bishop on to the train.
I regrouped at Birmingham International, boarding a homeward train jammed with fashionistas who'd spent their day at The Clothes Show.
Did I get a seat? Not a chance!
3 comments:
Wasn't it fab? Thanks for such a great report (and commiserations on the element of suffering ;-) )
What a great write up. I could almost imagine being there. Thanks for the care and attention you gave to writing up this memorable experience
In the photo above, the window appears to shimmer if you gaze at it. Rather cool effect!
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